Philippines

i live here, so i should know.

we are a country with rich natural resources, badly governed by corrupt politicians.

the bombings only happen in Mindanao (some areas) and Manila ONLY and that only happens when there isn't enough money passing the hands of people involved (did i mention we are lead by corrupt officials?) . you should try the Cordillera Province north of Manila where the average annual temperature is below 25% Celsius. perfect weather.

we've been badly treated by some foreigners so we have preconceptions about them and often expressed to the wrong person. our hospitable nature have been exploited time and again and we experience being mistreated and badmouthed by piggish foreigners IN OUR OWN COUNTRY, so please bear with us when you start raising your voice and acting all bossy and we just ignore you or just punch your face.

add to this the fact that you can rape our women and the government can do nothing about it and you have a recipe for a boiling rage that cannot be expressed except to some poor foreigner who just came here to learn about us (poor fella). BUT, we easily forgive, so just act the part of a good foreigner and i'm sure you'll win our hearts.

yes, we are poor country. because we choose to vote for incompetent leaders. we are a people who refuse to recognize our own history. where the rich want to be Spanish and the poor want to be American. where we claim to be Christians but don't follow Jesus(yep, we're hypocrites too).

our chief export is our educated and talented people because we do not invest in developing our own industry(did i also mention our leaders are short sighted?).

as a tourist destination, we have the best reefs, best weather, safe destination(just keep away from the places mentioned.) and where everything is not overpriced.

cheers!

Pro's:
* The weather's warm.
* They have many forms of HIGHLY AFFORDABLE transportations.
* Filipinos, in general, are friendly and hospitable. Wherever you go, you'll NEVER feel lonely.
* It is probably the widest English-speaking country in Asia. Schools aren't so bad because everything is taught in English.
* Beaches are everywhere. It's called "the Philippines" with an S because it's composed of more than 7,000 "Philippine ISLANDS".
* There's almost no religious and racial discrimination. In fact, Filipinos really love meeting foreigners.
* Filipinos are brown and weight problems are not common. In other words, Filipinas are considered hot. It's paradise for lonely white men.
* Everything aside from education & cars is cheap. Many foreigners go there for cosmetic surgery.

Cons:
* Typhoons and storms are common, so are blackouts.
* Tourist spots are often crowded and noisy. A city is either polluted or hillbilly.
* Homeless people are everywhere. Beggars, sampaguita vendors, etc are always there to bug you.
* The weather tends to cause a bad hair day.
* Theft is extremely common.
* Buses, jeepneys, cabs and tricycles cause traffic. a lot of traffic.
* Hair salons aren't good, because barbers are not well-trained.

Tips:
* The best places to live are Makati & Fort Bonifacio (both in Manila), Cebu & Subic.
* The best beaches are in Boracay, Cebu, Palawan, La Union & Siargao.
* Filipinos point with their lips.
* Balut (steamed chicken egg) is delicious and safe.
* Some of the yummiest Filipino foods are tortang talong (eggplant omelet), kare-kare, dinuguan & lechon paksiw.
* Indians, not Africans, are the most discriminated.
* Korean salons are everywhere. It's great if you want a perm, and they're quite cheap.
* Almost every family has maids and a driver. If you stay without one, you're weird.
* Manila is considered the hottest place, but it's getting overpopulated and very polluted. Cebu's getting better and better, so I suggest try that instead.

Before I went to Manila I remember reading all sorts of bad news about the Philippines: terrorists, crimes, corruption, scandals. When I was "ordered" to work there for 6 months, I was absolutely terrified and didn't know if I can go home in one piece.

Well, turns out CNN and myself had so much to learn about this place.

It's not a rich country but it has everything for pratically everyone (well, in Manila at least). All kinds of food, wonderful sights, entertainment for all ages, and best of all--freedom of speech (which could be probably why it's always.

And cheap too--just spend USD100 a day and you'll feel like royalty!

It wasn't as bad as CNN wants us to believe (bad news sells, obviously). Maybe the Philippines should start spending $$$ on TV ads just like Malaysia or Bangkok does??

LonelyPlanet said the Philippines "is Asia's best kept-secret." I hate to admit it...I was wrong and they were right!

One of my pet peeves though is the Philippinos have the tendency to cling on to you and warm up to you too quickly...it just doesn't rub me the right way and I hate it when they call me "Hey Joe".

At least I was able to come home in one piece and talk about it.

Despite the fact the Philippines has one of the most corrupt governments, Filipinos/-as are a proud people with a rich, colorful history. Filipinos/-as themselves are a diverse group, having been influenced first by indigenous Malays and later by other nearby Asian nations, not to mention the influence of Spain and the United States, which brought Catholicism and capitalism, respectively. All of these influences contributed to the unique-but-beautiful identity of Filipinos/-as around the world. And just to mention, I am a Filipino American who is extremely proud of my heritage. I definitely encourage others to learn about (and maybe visit) my ancestral country.

No one lives there!

There's no place like the Philippines...Probably, the best place on earth...

I just returned from my second missions trip to the Philippines and once again, had a heavenly time. I have still yet to meet one unfriendly filipino, the people there are so amazing, hospitable, and thankful. Almost every person I talked to is so thankful for America and their part in liberating them from the Japanese, but above all they said, they are so thankful for America bringing them Jesus. They said the Lord has made all the difference in their country. Please pray for the filipinos, the filipino pastors, and the country. God bless the Philippines!

i went there several years back. philippinas and philippionos (and a lot of other asians) are sweet people. yes, there are some screwed up ones that make really wrong decisions for the goverment, but the ones that feel they don't have a say, the good, innocent ones, they are so giving, even if they only own a loaf of bread, they will give you half. they hardly ever complain and they are so hospitible and welcome you into their home.

I love the Philippine.

Mabuhay!

The stars show the pride for my country. This place is totally awesome. Pnoy Power!

My mom is a filipino, so we went to the Phillipines one summer. It was awesome! Everyone there treated me with royalty (once they found out I was American)!

phillipines is where catholic priests and sick men go. if you go to the phillipines your a pedophile manilla is full of 4 year old prostitute boys. If you actually wanna give money to yet another sick disgusting country go ahead.

philippines is a very beautiful country with many things to offer.beautiful beaches and if you want exciting city life philippines has a lot to offergiant shopping malls are evrywhere and the nightlife id just not to be missed. are just everywhere and people are friendly and very accomodating!!! filipinos are considered as one of the most hospitable people in the whole world.

A really screwed up country. Theres bombings everyday, and terrorists are all over the place.

Filipinas are very annoying. They are really really pushy. Very violent country, which is something Philippine people try so hard to mask.

It was sited as the most disater prone country in the world. Philippinoes I met are not that friendly too.

I never want to hate a country but sometimes I have to. The people were unbelievably rude and not quite tourist friendly people. Don't go there.:(

The poor but the proud. A country can't be great when there are arrogant, self-centered people around. Philippinoes doesn't earn any respect from people, instead, it earned to be despise as well as be given a spit by others. Boo! Tang ina mo!

I don't know about u guys, but its sure bad luck for me. Filippinos that ive seen leave a terrible impression for me. People were very unreasonale and rude and they like to think that they are the only country in Asia, which is of course wrong. Ive been there once and never would like to go there again

The Philippines is definately the coolest place i've ever been to! I'm Filipino and I really respect my country. ~*ChandlersSweetAngel*~

Definitely, the best place on earth!!! Filipinos are freindly and smart.

my mother is filipino and i went once. it's a unique culture and the people are usually very friendly. it's like a charming south american country (from 500 years of spanish rule) mixed with asian/pacific heritage and influences. you'll be safe as long as you stay in and around Luzon, the northern of the three main islands. the other two in the south are where the muslim terrorists are.

Great country to visit! Very warm and friendly people and most of them speak English! Recommend!